1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lifting and transfer system for a patient.
2. Description of the Related Art
Working conditions are often problematic when nursing mobility-impaired or paralyzed patients. Lifting the patient is ergonomically difficult for the nurses. Today, there are many kinds of auxiliary equipment available in hospitals for transferring and lifting the patients. Beds which are adjustable in height are generally considered to be the most important of these auxiliary equipment. Also, transfer chairs, different lifting devices, for example mobile lifting devices on legs, bathroom lifters, hoists in the ceiling, etc. are commonly used. Further, shower chairs, sliding platforms and bath platforms are used for transferring and bathing patients. However, these accessories are single devices designed for a specific use. It may be impractical to use such accessories as they require substantial space and they are not always available at the right time in the right place. Then, working in a hurry, the nurses tend to use their own physical strength rather than look for auxiliary equipment. Further, structurally light separate patient lifters are sometimes considered non-reliable for the safety of the patients, in particular if the nurses are inexperienced in using the accessories. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,005,233 and 5,187,821 disclose hospital beds provided with a transfer couch and equipment for transferring a patient. An advantage provided by these systems is that they are integrated pans of the bed and am thus always available. Them is no need to bring many separate auxiliary devices to the bed when a patient is to be lifted and transferred. However, these devices can only be used for lifting and transferring a patient in a lying position.